Appliance Brand History

There are many different brand appliances in the United States. During the 20’s and 30’s there were an abundance of inventors. There were many different types of designs made during that time. Some of them worked well and some that did not. Well, as you could have imagined, the ones that were not up to par ended up in the scrap heap. The appliance designs of today are the ones that have gone through testing and endless hours of operation.

Makers such as GE, Frigidaire, and Maytag, are the top dogs in the field. Maytag is known for the robust designs, especially true for its washing machines. Many Boise residents or relatives have owned a Maytag washer or dryer. A common theme that I hear in Boise is, “wow, my mom/dad had a Maytag washer for 30 years without a repair.”

Kenmore is another well-respected brand appliance. The Kenmore brand appliances used to be manufactured by Whirlpool only. Lately, other well-known makers are now supplying Sears with quality appliances. Some of their names are LG, Samsung, GE, Frigidaire, and Maytag.

Well, this is true but there are other challengers up to the task. Take GE, their refrigerators are top-quality. GE owns Hotpoint and shares some designs with Whirlpool.

Electrolux is another brand name that is associated with vacuum cleaners. They own Frigidaire. Therefore, there has been quite a lot of merging.

Frigidaire celebrated it’s 95th anniversary in 2011. It was founded in 1916 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The company was originally bought from engineer Alfred Mellowes and a group of investors by General Motors. In 1919, the company was moved to Detroit and mass production of refrigerators began. The Frigidaire Appliance division makes cook-tops, stoves, wall ovens, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, microwaves, garbage disposals, water dispensers, washers, dryers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, toasters, coffee makers, and irons. Frigidaire’s are built to last. The Professional Collection has Pro-Select Controls, Heavy Duty Grates, and professional style knobs. Ovens/stoves have Power-Plus Boil and Power Plus Convection. In 1921 GM transferred the manufacturing to Dayton, OH and a division of Delco Light. During this time porcelain coating, insulation, and temperature controls in refrigerators were introduced. Frigidaire also began producing ice-cream cabinets, soda fountains, drinking fountains, and grocery freezers. Mass production brought the price of a Frigidaire refrigerator to the low price of $468 by 1926. Between 1919 and 1929 Frigidaire sold more than 1 million refrigerators. By 1941 it had sold over 6 million. In 1929 they introduced the first home chest size food freezer. 1931 freon was used as a refrigerant. 1938 brought the first window air conditioner. During the 1930’s Frigidaire offered other appliances. Ranges, ovens, water heaters, washers and dryers. Right before WWII Frigidaire claimed they had the world’s largest refrigerator plant with over 20,000 employees in the U.S. During the war production was turned over to defense items including aircraft parts, propellers, gas tanks, and artillery. During the war 200,000 machine guns were produced at the Frigidaire plant. Finally production restarted in 1945 on refrigerators. Frigidaire began their laundry product line in 1947. During the 1950’s Frigidaire led the industry introducing automatic ice makers and automatic defrost refrigerators. Color and style became important and they launched color-matched appliances in 1954 and their “Sheer Look” design in 1956. In 1952 the automatic defrosting refrigerator was introduced. In 1954 color appliances were offered. After acquisition by Electrolux in 1986. Frigidaire got a new logo, a new slogan, and upscale product positioning. Electrolux also acquired other brands including Tappan, Gibson, Kelvinator, White-Westinghouse and Euroflair and others adding more than 300 brands/companies to the Electrolux family. Frigidaire Gallery® line, have Express–Select® Controls like Quick Boil and Quick Preheat and One-Touch options. Effortless™ Dry dishwasher. Frigidaire Affinity® washers and dryers have the fastest full load wash and dry and the largest capacity and they are ENERGY STAR® Efficient. Colors for refrigerators, dishwashers, ranges/ovens, etc., include stainless steel, black and white. Style choices include French doors, side-by-side or top freezer. Washer/Dryers sets include choices of white, classic silver, classic red, or classic blue. In 2006 Frigidaire introduced a frost free chest freezer. For all your Frigidaire Appliance Repair needs in Boise and Eagle, Western can be reached anytime at 208-344-4893

In the United States, one in three homes has a Kenmore appliance. It is sold exclusively through Sears. They all carry the Energy Star seal. No one knows where the name “Kenmore” originated. It may have been a person’s name. the name of a town, or a street in Chicago. Kenmore manufactures refrigerator’s, washers (front-load; top-load; stacked sets), dryers, dishwashers, ovens, garbage disposals, ranges, BBQ’s, trash compactors, and microwave ovens. They are a division of Sears and were also known in the past as Coldspot. They make appliances for your laundry, kitchen and backyard. Small appliances made are blenders, food processors, mixers, coffee makers, coffee grinders and brewers, espresso makers, portable induction cook-tops, toasters, toaster ovens, slow cookers, fryers, combo grills, and vacuum sealers. Kenmore has manufactured sunlamps, electric baby bottle sterilizers, and electric blankets. Counter top appliance colors include black, white, orange, red, black, and stainless steel. Washer/dryer colors are white, ginger, chili pepper. Dishwasher colors: stainless steel, silver mist, white, black, and bisque. Refrigerator colors: white, black, stainless steel, metallic, and bisque. They have French door trio options and Grab ‘n Go Doors. Laundry features include the Rugged Cycle; the Workout Cycle; Time Management Technology; Soft Heart Technology; and a triple action agitator. Dishwasher features are Smart Display consoles; Elite drawers inside; Turbo-Zone rotating spray jets. Refrigerator features have the Ultra Fresh Package with Micro-ban Antimicrobial Protection built-in. They offer PURE Ultimate II filtration; Space Savers Ice Systems; Shaved Ice from front dispenser; Tilt & Take Freezers. Ranges include Air-guard for odors while cooking; Turbo Boil cook tops. Cook-tops have SensaCook heating elements and Turbo Boil. Vacuums have Direct Drive Belt-less Agitator; Quite-guard; Gentle Sweep Technology; intelligent-CLEAN. The Kenmore name first appeared on a Sears appliance, a sewing machine, in 1913. In 1927 they added the brand name to their wringer washers. Washers didn’t show up in Sears catalogs until after 1927. In 1932 Kenmore brand came out with a vacuum cleaner and in 1933 they came out with the Toperator – the first agitator washer. In 1936 Sears sold 1 their millionth Kenmore appliance. During WWI they stopped production of appliances for the general public. After the war Sears/Kenmore introduced appliances in bright colors in the their Harmony House line. In 1949 Kenmore launched a machine that dried clothes. 1951 launched dishwashers. In 1957 the 10 millionth Kenmore appliance was sold and the “Wash and Wear” cycle was introduced on washers. As of 1995 60% of Americans had a Kenmore product in their home. 1970 introduced the Kenmore trash compactor and in 1971 the microwave oven. In 1978 the 50 millionth Kenmore appliance was sold. 1985 Kenmore was the top brand in sales of black lacquer appliances. 1987 marked the makers 60th anniversary. For all your Kenmore Appliance Repair needs in Boise and Eagle, Western can be reached anytime at 208-344-4893